In order to post a comment in one of the forum topics, you must log in or sign up. Your display name will appear next to your posts unless you check the Post Anonymously box. When writing a post, please follow our forum guidelines. If you come across a post that you would like us to review, use the Report Post button. Please note the opinions shared in the forums do not necessarily reflect the views of Dockwalk.

There is no law of the sea that specifically states that a captain must go down with his ship.
But if he fails to assure that all crew and passengers get off safely he can and will be charged with dereliction of duty, and manslaughter for any passengers that died during the time when the ship had to be abandoned

Abandon ship is a difficult call. Old age pensioners and young children may get killed in the evacuation. There is no answer.
When do you declare a MAYDAY ??? When do you ask for a second opinion and professional assistance to deal with your situation ??? , are better questions .
Accepted wisdom says declare MAYDAY at the first sign of danger. Never delay alerting authorities of your situation . Learn how to say MAYDAY

How a Captain acts at sea is governed by UNCLOS and MSA 95 on a REG vessel. He owes a DUTY of Care to his crew, and passengers which is NON-DELEGABLE. At the moment there is no convention, hence staute law that outlines when a Captain should depart a strickened vessel. I am sure that IMO will be discussing this as an amendment to the SOLAS or UNCLOS conventions at the earliest opportunity!

Abandon Ship is the very last words any Captain wants to ever speak. However when he gives that order, he needs to be sure has everyone accounted for. Alive, Dead or otherwise. If not the Captain need to be aboard til the last. What ths Costa Captain did was the height of cowardness.
Its the un-writen rules that a Captain must also live by Not just the rule of law. He need to put his own life ahead of the others if he has to. The Captain of that ship was in no real danger. But he ran.
A shamefull commentary of the man himself.

what everyone said is right, and lets say if the captain was coward. where are the rest of the officers???
because the captain gives the order but the officers who should taking care for abandoning the ship.
according to the plan of the safety for the ship.
and what happened there it was disaster.
i feel so sorry for those who died over there, because they where not in the middle of the ocean, but just few meters of the shore.which the chances of death should be less. and who died on the ship was only passenger.!!!!

this captain is the mother of all idiots . he made one blunder after another , and to abandon ship before everybodey is saved and accounted for is an absolute no go ! i wonder where he obtained his license ?

The radio transcript played out show that he was a real coward. I am very impressed with the MRCC Commander giving him the what-for. I am not surprised that he (captain) was regarded as a bit of a playboy "card" type of fellow, from all accounts, he looks like a real Italian Riviera toyboy. However, considering that he beached the boat to stop it sinking altogether and that it is still instrinsically there, I do think it was rather sad and pathetic to skid-addle. Even if he had stayed on board and just been a cowering mess in a corner that would have been one thing, but saying he " é - I, er whoops, accidentally and suddenly just happened to trip over into a liferaft on a fully lit-up passenger vessel "in the dark" is another. I just wish the authorities would weld over the gash, get some floating sheerlegs in, get it upright and pump it out before it rubs itself into pieces on that shelf. Yours 'aye Captain Ed hideousfrance.com

APART THE VERY STUPID THINGS HAPPENED BEFORE THE CALL FOR EMERGENCY,
AS FAR AS MY OWN EXPERIENCE: ON A ABANDON SHIP CALL EVERYBODY REACHES THE MUSTER STATION, WITH ALL THE GEAR/ITEMS, THEN THERE IS THE COUNTING FOR PEOPLE, AND EVERYBODY GO, CAPTAIN LAST, BUT, HOW MUCH SHOULD THE CAPITAN/OFFICERS WAIT FOR ALL, ON A LIST OF 4000 PERS. IN A HEELING POSITION GETTING WORST EVERY MOMENT HONESTLY I CANNOT SAY, EVEN IF MANY HEROES SPEACK ABOUT FROM SAFE GROUND. IF THE CAPITAN IN THIS CASE WUOLD HAVE STAYED ON THE BRIDGE, I DONT KNOW WHERE HE WOULD HOLD, BECOUSE HE HAD NO FLOOR UNDER THE FEET, AND FROM THE BRIDGE WHAT COULD HE HAVE DONE WITHOUT THE HELP OF OTHER OFFICICERS, IT IS ADVISABLE TO REVIEW ROULES, AND ESCAPE FACILITIES, ( FAR TO BIG AMAZING SHIP WHEN THINGS ARE OK! ) THE CREW ARE NOT TRAINED AS "MARINS" , EVEN LESS THE CAMFORTABLE MANNERS OF A CAPITAN OF ABOUT 60Y.O.
THE CAPITAN KNEW THIS, AND DIRECTED TO THE SHORE.
THE VERY BIG MATTER IS TO CLEAR ALL THAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE CALL, THE BAD BEHAVIOR, AND THE COMPANY POLICY, AND IT IS NOT EASY TO HANDLE, BY THE WAY, IN OPEN WATER THE LOSS OF LIFES COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT HIGHER. SORRY FOR THOSE WHO DIED.

After all that happened, I think the Captain should have a professional Insurance policy that would cover all his "professional" decisions taken: wether to get close to the Island so tourists get sights, or stay away safely from the rocks.

I believe the captain should be located in the best position to effect extraction of personnel and passengers from danger.
This decision is at the sole discretion of the master .
I don't think any of you would like the sort of input seen here about your actions.
Why don't you all form a posse and go and get this bad stupid man of which you know nothing about and beat him perfidiously about the nutts...

The radio transcript played out show that he was a real coward. I am very impressed with the MRCC Commander giving him the what-for. I am not surprised that he (captain) was regarded as a bit of a playboy "card" type of fellow, from all accounts, he looks like a real Italian Riviera toyboy. However, considering that he beached the boat to stop it sinking altogether and that it is still instrinsically there, I do think it was rather sad and pathetic to skid-addle. Even if he had stayed on board and just been a cowering mess in a corner that would have been one thing, but saying he " é - I, er whoops, accidentally and suddenly just happened to trip over into a liferaft on a fully lit-up passenger vessel "in the dark" is another. I just wish the authorities would weld over the gash, get some floating sheerlegs in, get it upright and pump it out before it rubs itself into pieces on that shelf. Yours 'aye Captain Ed hideousfrance.com

He didn't beach the boat. It was floating around dead ship taking on water and the natural conditions put it up on shore. He wouldn't even admit he had a problem for over an hour. The situation was brought to the authorities attention when a passenger called her sister who called the police wanting to know the status, surprising them who called the Coast Guard who called out to the ship where skipper boy got on the radio and denied having a problem, "Just minor technical problem", and then went and had dinner with a Moldovan cutie.

I believe the captain should be located in the best position to effect extraction of personnel and passengers from danger.
This decision is at the sole discretion of the master .
I don't think any of you would like the sort of input seen here about your actions.
Why don't you all form a posse and go and get this bad stupid man of which you know nothing about and beat him perfidiously about the nutts...

Nope, just execute him and cull him from the ranks, or exile him to someplace fun like Somalia, maybe the pirates will give a job.

If you manage to combine incompetence, stupidity and panic with cowardness you've the recipe for catastrophy ! The position of such a wannabe seaman should be in the loundry or waste disposal room at best !

I wonder why Capt. Ed P. posted a mobileTag with a link to a U-tube vid titled "Crazy Australian won´t stop attacking house" with his comment???
I do know that there are lots of Italians in Oz, but do you suggest that Capt. Schettino was half Australian? Could that explain that he said he stumbled "down under" into the lifeboat?
Or is it the captains house being attacked by grieving relatives?
Anyway, what a mess.